On February 7 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with Mongolia’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), hosted a workshop with government ministries including the Ministry of Standardization and Metrology, and the Ministry of Energy to present recommendations for the establishment of a Mongolian energy standards & labeling program (S&L). The workshop represented the culmination of a study GGGI initiated in October 2017 to support S&L program design. The study adapted international best practices from across the world to fit Mongolia’s local context. The study concluded that S&L can save over 1,000 GWh of electricity annually by 2040. This is the equivalent of nearly half the annual output of one of Ulaanbaatar’s coal-fired power plants.

The workshop served as a platform for building cross-ministerial support for the program, and raising awareness of the roles and responsibilities required to implement S&L successfully in the country. The workshop concluded with concrete next steps and cross-ministerial agreement on the main design elements of an S&L operational guideline.

This work is a continuation of GGGI’s partnership with ERC to promote energy efficiency in the country. The partnership was established in the early 2017 with the signing of an MoU between the two parties. The first phase of work saw GGGI provide technical input to develop Mongolia’s first National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP). The NEEAP was adopted by the government in September 2017 and sets a pathway of regulatory activities up to 2022 to scale-up energy efficiency investment.

Romain Brillie, GGGI Country Representative for Mongolia, in his opening speech said that “We believe its successful implementation shall include a strong, independent entity to test and certify products and the active promotion of the S&L Program towards importers, manufacturers and above all end users, particularly low income households.”

GGGI is also working with the Mongolian Bankers Association to establish a Mongolian Green Credit Fund (MGCF). The MGCF will provide devoted credit lines for energy efficiency and for other green projects. GGGI’s partnership with ERC will support MGCF’s investments by supporting the development of a supportive regulatory and policy environment.